If you plan to grow plants or edibles in the autumn – you should definitely want to check out the advantages and the disadvantages of this yet cold season when it comes to home gardening. There are some differences between the urban and the outdoor gardening, but the common thing is the weather, which is usually cold and windy, and you have to deal with lots of autumn leaves before planting the seeds.

For big gardens like outdoor areas or backyard gardens – a great idea is to call the professional landscape gardener in your region. They know best which tools to use for achieving better results, while the professional choice of the best seeds will ensure healthy and fast growing plants. This is especially important for the winter, because there are only a few specific species that can grow outdoors in the autumn. If you want to do everything by yourself, make sure that you have the right tools for every task or at least the basic ones. It comes to a shovel for making holes in the soil and a trowel for a better landscaping of the soil after planting the seeds. Decide which exactly types of plants or edibles you want to grow, which will help you with the right choice of the arrangement of the seeds. Take into account the angle of the sunlight throughout the days, as well as location of the shaded areas. Try to avoid planting near the shades of the fences or right under trees with the largest canopies due to their huge shades. You want to expose your plants as much as possible to the natural sunlight during the wintertime, which will enhance the growing. Another great idea is to make a cushion of the fallen leaves as an extra layer of protection for the seeds. After the leaf collection, inspect the pile and take a pick of the most beautiful leaves, which you may use for art decoration of the interior of the house. Cover the soil with the rest of the leaves and, hopefully, when the seeds start to grow, they will transform the colorful fallen leaves into another piece of art in your outdoor garden.

Growing plants in a greenhouse is perhaps the easiest task for the autumn and for the wintertime. These yet cold seasons are accompanied by a high level of risk from frost, snowfalls and quite low air temperature in the nights. However, the protection of the greenhouse is indispensable for growing some edibles outdoors such as lettuce or radishes. Don’t forget to take into account the angle of the slopes, which plays a major role for the direction when planting the seeds.

The urban gardening is not an exception from all the difficulties when growing plants in the autumn. An open terrace in an urban environment needs numerous maintenance services and it may be a little bit more difficult to keep your garden clean up than you have expected. There are stronger winds and swirls through the open urban environments, although the air temperature is usually a little bit higher in densely urbanized areas. A great idea in this case is to grow plants in pots and to ensure that each pot has its own transparent cover, like dozens of mini-greenhouses on your terrace. Planting in pots, baskets or 1L – 5L containers is the main way for growing plants at home. These mobile baskets provide a better control of the sunlight exposure, while a higher air temperature transforms the home gardening into the most desirable way for growing plants in the autumn.

Carrot (Daucus carota) is a cool season root vegetable. A rich source of vitamin A, carrot is recommended by doctors for healthy eye sight. Carrot crop can be harvested within 5-6 weeks of planting seeds. So by sowing seeds every two weeks multiple crops can be harvested within a season. It can be grown in containers too as far as they are deep enough. Below are the tips which could help with growing carrot at home.

Propagation

Carrot is propagated from seeds. Carrot seeds are too small so handle them carefully. Sow seeds ½ inch and 1 inch apart in a row. You can later thin out by removing weak seedlings to create space of 3-4 inches between two nearby seedlings. Thinning should be done by snipping or pinching seedlings at ground level not by pulling them out as it can disturb adjacent growing seedling. This gives plant enough room for proper growth. Make sure rows are 12 inches (1 foot) apart. Seeds will germinate within 2 weeks. To speed up germination sow radish seeds with it as it will germinate faster and loosen up soil for other plants. Buy Carrot flower seeds online.

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Container

If you are short of space and want to grow carrots in container then select one which is at least 1 foot deep. Container deeper than that would be great. It should have adequate number of drainage holes. Put stone pieces over holes to ensure smooth drainage. Container material can be anything – clay, glazed or unglazed or terracotta.

Soil

Nature of soil an important factor while growing carrot. Soil should be loose so that roots couldn’t find it difficult to penetrate ground. To ensure this till the soil up to the depth of at least 6-8 inches and remove any stones or large clumps of soil from the ground. Large stones cause split or bifurcation in carrots.

Sun / Temperature

Carrot requires a good 4-5 hrs of sun light everyday so make sure you are planting them in well lit location. Carrot can tolerate partial shade.

Watering

Keep soil moist always. Water only when the soil is dry but do not over do it as it cause root rot.

Fertilizer

Garden compost or farm yard manure works well. Mix it with soil in advance before planning to sow seeds. If you want to use fertilizer then use anything but nitrogen based as it encourage only foliar growth depriving roots from growing.

Harvesting

Harvest crop within 5-6 weeks of planting seeds. Check for carrot stem near the ground if it is 1 inch wide then carrot is ready to be harvested. Or just take one out of the ground and taste. If it tastes good then harvest your crop. Pull out the plant from the ground, cut the leaves on it and store in cool, dry place.Know how to grow Radish at home.

India is a versatile country and similarly, its soil has lot of variety. Hence, the indoor plants which can be grown in India have also a lot of variety. It is really hard to select the top plants, but these are the most common one.

Basil or Tulsi

It is a sacred, highly devoted plant and found in most of the Hindu houses. It is also well known for its medicinal use. Saplings are grown in warm season, although it needs water in plenty of amount. Undoubtedly, it holds first position in Indian houses due to religious significance. The best season to cultivate is July- August. Tulsi prefers a temperature range of 250 C to 300 C, and well dug fertile soil with good air circulation. Read detailed growing tips for Tulsi.

Marigold

It is also a plant which is offered to God during religious ceremonies, and hence,maintains its significance. Soil rich in humus and plenty of sunlight favors its growth. It is grown in the month of July –August. Read detailed growing tips for Marigold.

Money plant

According to Indians, money grows where money plant grows. Hence, this plant is also quite popular in Indian houses. It is easiest plant to cultivate, as it can be grow by using a stalk in a bottle filled with water. Moreover, it needs almost no sunlight.Read detailed growing tips for Money plant.

Bougainvillea

It is a climber plant, which grows like bush on top of walls and gates, rendering enormous beauty to the houses. It is highly popular in India, as it needs very less care and water both, grows rapidly and comes up with lot of flowers. Ideal temperature for bougainvillea is from 160 C to 380 C. They need slightly acidic soil with pH ranges from 5.5 to 6. Read detailed growing tips for Bougainvillea.

Most of trees and shrubs need pruning to control their size and improve display of flowers and foliage. For this you have to know about type of the plant and proper technique to prune it. After deciding upon right time of pruning one requires to make cuts carefully.

Making a cut

Making cuts correctly is an important aspect of pruning. First thing is to have clean and sharp pruning tools that no damage is done to surrounding tissues left on the plant. While cutting diseased plant parts it is advisable to use disinfectant before going for another cut.

A good pruning cut is made about 3mm (1/8 inch) above a bud. The cut should be a slanting one, with higher end above the bud. Slope of the cut shouldn’t be towards the bud because this makes the stem above the bud too long, which may cause die-back. An inwards slope collects water on the bud causing rot and other problems.

If the buds and leaves on the stem are arranged opposite then make a horizontal cut 3mm (1/8 inch) above the bud.

Do not cut too far above the bud as it can cause die back of stem. Avoid too close cuts also, it can damage the bud and stem may die back to next bud on it.

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How to prune

Basic form of pruning consists of removing dead, diseased and damaged stem and it can be done anytime of the year. However if you are doing pruning for specific reason like better flowering then you must know about the shrub and its blooming time. If you do not know anything about the shrub then you could prune one third of the shrub back to the ground every year, starting from oldest stems. It works for almost every shrub.

Pruning for better flowering

Plants which bloom from midsummer and flower on new wood (current season’s growth) should be pruned early in the spring. Take out old wood (previous season’s growth) as much as possible so that new growth appears all over the plant for blooming.

Plants which bloom early before midsummer and flowers on old wood (previous season’s growth) should be pruned right after blooming finishes on the plant. Prune old wood as much as possible. Cut one in three old stems to new shoots.

English Ivy (Botanical name: Hedera Helix) is one of the most popular indoor plant. Although, it is considered to be a serious weed, it is sold as an ornamental plant in United States and many other countries. The best thing about this plant is that it “almost carefree”.

It is an evergreen perennial climbing creeper which attaches to almost everything, such as bark of trees, bricks, walls and other root like structures. It spreads vigorously growing at the tips of stems. It grows best in well-drained fertile soil. Water logged soil spoils its growth.

If you like the above picture and need this type of English ivy, just care of the following tips:

Keep them where they can get at least 4 hours of sunlight.

If you are supposed to grow the plant for your wall, keep them nearer to the wall, as much as possible.

Keep the soil evenly moist, which means, almost equal amount of water everywhere.

This plant is trimmed to make it more beautiful, and it also prevents the plant from bacterial infection The plant is evergreen and can be grown in shady places, also . This property gives this plant three important advantages:

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It can be used to cover the walls, making the walls look extremely elegant.

This plant can be used for the control of soil erosion, especially in slope areas.

It can be directed to climb over a net of wires, and the place can be used for shade.

Most common diseases which occur in this plant are bacterial leaf spot and stem canker. These diseases can be prevented by avoiding high temperature, high humidity and wetting the foliage.